Costa Rica, Pura Vida all summer Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Everyone in the summer program took the same course, but we were separated by Spanish level. As a native speaker I did not feel challenged in the advanced class. Firstly, the class is not with local students but with the ISEP participants only. We reviewed subjunctive..something that I learned back in high school. That being said, the cultural component of the class was very informative and interesting. We watched movie clips and the class discussion was a big component. The professor gave me an additional reading assignment to complete to challenge me a little more, but it was not difficult.

On-site administration of your program

The directors were very nice and did their best to help us with any questions or concerns we had. Pretty easily accessible by providing office hours, phone, and email. I would agree that the directors are very to the books & rules. In that sense, they weren't very personable with participants; their main concern was to follow ISEP policy.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

My host family experience was great. My host mom was caring, attentive, and personable. She really took care of me when I got sick. I really felt like a learned from living with a family, and through daily conversation with them. The only negative aspect was the noise level in the house due to the 3 grandkids that lived there.

Delicious. Amazing. Mouth watering. Yes, you do eat rice and beans A LOT but it's great food. Definitely visit Puerto Viejo in the Limon province and try their version of rice and beans (coconut flavor), and if you're a seafood person, the lobster there is a must. Lots of fruit in the diet, and fruit juices of all kinds.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

My cultural integration was limited due to the fact that it was a short summer program (5 wks) and the class was with the ISEP participants and not with local students. The excursions were great in terms of learning about different aspects of Costa Rican culture. I had to take advantage of my host family, and through them I learned a lot.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I caught a virus and was sick for 2 days. My host mom was great and very attentive. I was disappointed that she got in trouble for giving me tea...administration (sigh). Went to a private clinic where the doctor and nurse were both very nice. Had to pay a $25 deductible on top of the ISEP health insurance I paid for...whatever, I'm alive.

Heredia is just like any other city in the world. Crime is everywhere, and you just have to take the normal precautions. Don't wear flashy jewelry or clothes. Don't walk alone at night, and don't count/display money in public. I had no trouble there.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

Although the exchange rate may seem to benefit American students, it's not really that way. Cost of living is pretty expensive; clothing, eating out, and souveniors are pricey. Recommendations: eat out at "sodas," local small restaurants where you can get a whole meal and a drink for less than $5, for weekend getaways stay at hostels. I paid between $10-$15 a night and you get just what you need, keep track of your spending, but never carry more cash than you need.

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

Seeing as the class was not fully immersed with local students, participants heavily fell back to using English. Some of the excursions were in English. Although Spanish was encouraged, it wasn't followed through with as much as I would have liked.

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• Host Family

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• Host Family

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• Americans

• Host Family
• Weekends free
• Food

• Immersion with local students
• Emphasis of local language
• Curriculum for participants that are native speakers